


The bestest

by darkmoore



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Domestic, Fluff, M/M, m-preg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 04:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8782354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkmoore/pseuds/darkmoore
Summary: Career choice discussions with an almost three year old ...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [respoftw](https://archiveofourown.org/users/respoftw/gifts).



> This is a gift for [respoftw](http://archiveofourown.org/users/respoftw/pseuds/respoftw), who wanted kidfic and m-preg and a happy ending. I hope you like it.  
> Thanks go to [Brumeier](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier) for hand-holding and speed-beta and being awesome.

Rodney shifted in bed, trying to find a more comfortable position. It was way too early to be up, but he hadn’t been able to go back to sleep after the most recent trip to the bathroom. Everything ached: his back, his hips, his feet. And if that wasn’t enough, the taut skin of his baby belly itched like crazy. The last few weeks of pregnancy really sucked, a lot. 

Behind him, John stirred. “Hey, you okay?” John whispered. “Does your back hurt again? I could give you a backrub.” His hands moved to Rodney’s back, pressing firmly onto the spot low on his spine where the worst of the pain resided. John’s thumbs rubbed circles into the tense muscles, easing the constant ache that came from carrying around the extra weight of a growing baby. Rodney sighed in relief. 

“Thanks. That feels great,” Rodney said, shifting a little to give John better access to his back. Now if only the itching would go away, too, he might actually be able to go back to sleep. Rodney scratched an especially persistent spot gently, mentally cursing the fact that no matter how often he moisturized his skin with lotion and oils, it always went back to itching within a couple of hours. It was driving him nuts. 

As if on cue, John tugged on Rodney’s hip to make him turn over on his back. It wasn’t the most comfortable position to be in, but it allowed John better access to his baby belly. A moment later John spread a fine coat of oil across Rodney’s itching skin with practiced movements. Rodney smiled. John was pampering him a lot lately and Rodney was determined to enjoy it as long as possible. 

“You’re so good at this,” Rodney praised, smiling at John gratefully. 

John chuckled. “Well, I have vested interest in keeping you happy. You’re a lot less grumpy when you’re not in pain or itching. So, it’s not just for your benefit.”

Rodney rolled his eyes at him and smiled. “You’re impossible. As if-”

The scampering of small feet on the floor interrupted Rodney and a second later Annabelle jumped onto the bed beside John with a little squeal. “Ohh, Daddy, are you talking to my baby brother? Is he ready to come out yet? I wanna see him so badly. Is he coming yet, Papa?” 

Rodney smiled at her. “No, Annabelle, he’s not coming yet. He still has a little time left to grow.”

Predictably, his daughter pouted at them. “But I want to meet him right now. Are you sure we can’t just take him out for a little while? I wanna hold him. We can put him back right after, I promise.”

John laughed and Rodney glared at him for it. They’d had this discussion practically since Annabelle had learned that there was a _real baby_ growing inside her Papa’s belly. She was a little disappointed at first that it wasn’t the _sister_ she wanted but she soon decided that a baby brother would do, too. 

“Remember what Papa and I told you about how having a baby works? That we can’t just take it out and put it back in whenever we want? We all want to meet your baby brother very much, but we need to be patient a little longer, okay, Princess Belle? How about you go to your room and check if the Beast has turned into a handsome prince for you yet?” John’s voice was dead serious as he said that. _Beauty and the Beast_ was one of Annabelle’s favorite movies and she had a stuffed Beast doll that slept in her bed every night. 

Annabelle giggled. “I’m not a Disney Princess, Daddy! I don’t wanna marry a prince; I’m gonna be a doctor when I’m all grown up!” She beamed at them proudly. 

That was new. Rodney knew that at this age children changed their minds about their future profession about three times a day, but never before had there been ‘being a doctor’ among them. 

Rodney smiled at her proudly. “Did you hear that, John? That’s my girl. Of course you won’t marry a prince, you’re not allowed to date until you’re thirty, anyway. You’re gonna be a scientist, just like me. Who knows, maybe you’ll even surpass me, growing up on Atlantis with all that knowledge at your disposal. Atlantis loves you even more than she loves your Daddy, doesn’t she? She’s such a traitor.” Rodney reached over and tickled Annabelle who squirmed away from him, laughing, into John’s waiting arms.

“Papa, no! Not fair!” she complained but freed herself from John’s hold quickly to hop around on the bed, her blond curls flowing around her head like a halo. “’Lantis loves me bestest!” Annabelle sing-songed and finally plopped herself down next to John, just out of Rodney’s reach. “I’m not gonna be a Astophysist though, Papa,” she then said with an earnest face. 

Rodney shared a look with John, who just raised an eyebrow and shrugged. He didn’t know what this was all about, either, it seemed. 

“Alright, no astrophysics for you, then,” Rodney agreed. “Are you going to tell me what you want to do? Math maybe? Your daddy loves math. Or how about engineering? You could help improve the puddle jumpers. I’m sure Atlantis would be more than willing to give you some hints.” Rodney did his best to keep his voice serious and calm. As if discussing career options with a not-yet-three-year-old was the most natural thing to do.

Annabelle giggled. “Noooo, Papa, you’re so silly! I’m gonna be a Medicine Doctor like Uncle Carson, of course. So I can figure out a way to take little baby brothers out of the tummy to hold them and then put them back so they can still grow. It’s gonna be so awesome! You’ll see, Papa, I’m gonna be the bestest Doctor ever!”

“You want to practice Voodoo?” The sentence slipped out without Rodney’s consent and he regretted it the second it left his mouth. Annabelle started to frown and John glared at him in a ‘what-were-you-thinking?’ kind of way. He really hadn’t meant to say that. Annabelle was way too young to understand the concept of some good natured teasing the likes of which Cason and Rodney had going on. 

“What’s Voodoo?” Annabelle asked and looked at John for help. 

“Papa made a joke, munchkin. A joke he usually only makes with Uncle Carson, to tease him a bit. He didn’t mean to say you won’t be a great doctor. We both know you’ll be totally awesome.” John smiled at Annabelle and she smiled back at him and wrapped her little arms around his neck for a big hug. 

“Come here, sweetheart,” Rodney opened his arms and waited for her to settle against him. He hugged her and kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry for making fun of Uncle Carson’s job. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s what we do, he and I, you know? We tease each other, because we’re friends. You know how that goes at preschool, right?” She nodded against him and looked at him intently, listening. 

“It’s the same with grown-ups. Sometimes we say stupid things. But it doesn’t mean that Uncle Carson isn’t very good at what he’s doing. He helps me and Daddy and all the other people on Atlantis all the time. It’s a very important job and he’s really, really good at it. And he helped me get you out of my tummy to meet you, too. I’m very grateful to him and I just slipped up when I said that thing to you earlier. I know you’ll be a great Medical Doctor if that’s what you want to do. You can be anything you want to be.”

Annabelle smiled at him happily and declared, “I’m a Sheppard-McKay. I was born totally awesome!” 

John laughed and Rodney had to grin at her, too. It was clearly something she had heard someone say, probably more than once. It was no secret that with her parentage and an ATA gene that even surpassed that of her ‘Daddy’, people expected her to grow up to do extraordinary things. Rodney was absolutely certain she would live up to those expectations and surpass them; she was a Sheppard-McKay after all. 

“All right, Bella-Belle, I think it’s time to get up. Wanna help me make breakfast for Papa? I’m thinking pancakes?” John lifted Annabelle out of Rodney’s arms. 

Annabelle squealed. “Yes, yes I wanna help. Can we have maple syrup? Oh, oh I know and maybe walnut ice-cream? Or st’awberries. Can I put st’awberries on mine? Can I Daddy? Do you think I could be a chef when I grow up? Like a real chef? I could mix Earth and Pegasus food and make it all yummy …”

Rodney watched as John carried their happily chatting daughter out of the bedroom to make breakfast and smiled. He didn’t know what kind of career choice his daughter would eventually make, but it wasn’t important. Rodney was sure she’d find her way and whatever it was that she would end up doing, she’d be ‘the bestest’ at it.


End file.
